Jingle Belles
by MaiWad
Summary: T'is the season to be jolly! It's Christmas Eve in Storybrooke, and Rumple and Belle are spending the day together. What will they get up to? Find out! - A Rumbelle OneShot -


**A/N: Miss me? I did. Yeah, I took a break from writing for a while. I've had a very bad case of Writer's Block, you see. But seen as it's Christmas on Tuesday, I decided to write a Christmas one-shot. Considering I haven't written any OUAT fics yet, I thought now would be the right time to start! Also, who doesn't love Rumbelle? srsly. Anyways, on with the story! **

In the early hours of Christmas Eve, Belle sat alone at the librarian desk, engaged in a book. It was the third or fourth time she had read it, but it was one of her favourites, and each time felt like a brand new experience. It was one of the classics- boy meets girl, girl is captured by the villain, boy saves the day, and they all live happily ever after. It had that warm, fuzzy feeling, which made her feel happy inside. Romantic Adventure was her favourite genre. Mainly because she pictured the main characters to be herself and Rumpelstiltskin. She would never tell Rumple of this fantasy, of course, because he would probably find it ridiculous. Even though Belle dreamed of adventure, and travelling the world, she was comfortable in Storybrooke for the time being. She was content with spending the time with Rumple for a few months. But Belle promised herself that one day she _would _leave Storybrooke. She _would _travel the world. She _would_ be one of the characters in her story books, and she _would_ be the strong, independent woman that no-one believed in.

Belle jumped a little, as the library door opening momentarily distracted her from her daydream. A draft of cold air entered the room, and Belle shivered, while tugging her cardigan tighter around her chest. Her eyes still had not left her book, and as she read the final word of the sentence, she heard his voice: "Hope I'm not interrupting, dearie."

Recognising his voice immediately, a smile crept upon her lips, as she gazed up at Rumpelstiltskin. His left hand balanced himself lightly upon his cane, while his other hand was holding a cup of fresh coffee. He gestured the cup to Belle, with a grin. "Thought you might be thirsty," he said, with a wink.

Nodding several times, Belle's smile grew wider. "Yes, thank you." She took the cup from his hands, and took a long, grateful sip. A rich, creamy texture entered her mouth, and she closed her eyes as the smoothness of the liquid increased her body temperature. The cup was almost dry, until she set it down, almost embarrassed at her hunger for this enchanting beverage.

Rumple grinned and giggled at his love. He rarely smiled, and when he did, it was only if something had truly made his day. Belle always made his day.

"Nice?" he asked her. Belle nodded slowly, attempting to swallow the remainder that had forced her cheeks to expand incredibly. She tried to supress her giggling, but she then hid her face in her hands, in pure embarrassment and uncontrollable laughter. If anyone else in the world had seen them, they would think that they were completely foolish. But a part of the laughter was a part of love and relief that they had each other. After all they had been through, laughing was something that they had both missed, and glad they could finally share.

Eventually, the couple had tamed their laughter, and the pair just smiled at each other for a few moments. Captivated by the beauty that their partner had, and thankful for being able to share moments like these. For over twenty-eight years, they had been apart. Thinking one another was dead, with not knowing what they were going to do for the rest of their lives. But luckily, they had found each other. The curse had been broken, and they had found one another. They were reunited, able to live their lives with no worries. Relaxed, untroubled, free. Free from the madness. Free from the utter hell they had been through.

"I was wondering…" Rumple's eyes dropped to the floor, and he brought a hand to his mouth as he cleared his throat. He smiled back at Belle, showing slight uneasiness in his eyes. "I was wondering… Would you like to attend dinner with me, at Granny's?"

The apprehension in his voice was clear, but Belle chose to ignore it. In fact, she found it sweet. Purely because Rumpelstiltskin was never nervous. He was a strong man. He never cried; he never let his fear show. But there he was; practically shaking, just because he was asking her out on a date. That was why Belle liked him so much. Sure, he was ignorant, rude and impolite, but he did have a soft side.

With a wide grin, Belle nodded in response. "Yes," she beamed. "Of course I will. But first, let me finish this coffee."

Non-stop chatter came from Table 5 at Granny's Diner. From the moment that the pair entered the diner, the conversation did not end. The banter between them was obvious, and they got along like a house on fire.

Instead of a waiter coming to their table, Rumple insisted_ he_ would order something for the both of them. What it was would be a surprise. He practically whispered the order at the counter, while Belle was left to wonder about what he had in mind.

When the meal arrived, Belle's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe that it wasn't the first meal that came to her mind. "Two hamburgers, with extra tomato ketchup and salad," Ruby said, as she placed the meals onto the counter. The pair thanked her, and she walked off with a smile, clearly amused with her friend's reaction.

"Hamburgers…" A smile forced its way upon to Belle's lips. "From our first date."

"Yes indeed-y," smiled Rumple. One of his greatest achievements in life was to make Belle happy. Even the little moments- even when she just smiled at him- a part of him just felt complete.

Belle's eyes focused directly at the hamburger. A concept of a circular piece of meat, clasped between two sliced of bread. A local delicacy to most people, but to Belle it was so much more. It was the spark of her and Rumple's relationship. It was something Belle had longed for, a food that she had desired to taste. And Rumple had gotten it for her. Why? Because he had cared about her. So from that moment, Belle knew that Rumpelstiltskin was really a good man. He had seemed selfish; manipulative. But just then, he had shown her that he was not all a greedy, cunning monster. He was a calm, composed gentleman. At that moment, he had proved to her that there is some good in everyone.

That was the only minutes of silence that happened at Table 5 that night. After awakening from her thoughts, she gazed back up at Rumple. They exchanged a grin, and Belle rolled her eyes, laughing.

"Right," beamed Rumple. "Tuck in!"

After finishing their Christmas meal, and paying (Rumple insisted to paying the full bill), Belle suggested taking a walk around town. At first, Rumple declined, claiming that no-one really wants to see his face after all the misery that he had caused them. But Belle rolled her eyes, and practically begged him to come, until he eventually gave in.

Before even walking a couple of steps, Rumple complained that he was too cold. Belle just laughed it off, claiming he was acting childish. Rumple decided to just forget about the people who wanted him dead, and tried to focus the entire walk on Belle. It turned out to be easier than he originally thought. Soon enough, the duo were walking hand in hand, at a slow and steady pace; as Rumple's cane tried it's best to catch up. Without his cane, Rumple believed he would be a much stronger, younger person. The cane made him feel like he was old, and frail. Belle was young; energetic. She was so lively, yet Rumple was always slowing her down. He didn't want to slow her down. He didn't want her to feel like she always had to wait for him to catch up to her. He wanted her to continue being that active, sparkling, young girl that she was.

After walking a mile, or so, Belle stopped in her tracks outside a corner shop. "Wait here," she told Rumple, and she enthusiastically ran inside. Rumple sighed, reminding himself that he would never be able to run at that speed again. When he was younger, he was stronger, and could run at the speed of lightening. Oh, those were the days.

Feeling slightly out of breath, he decided to rest his back upon a brick wall nearby. Rumple prayed to himself that he wouldn't see anybody he knew. If he did… all hell could break loose.

A woman and a small boy hurriedly marched past him. The woman held a large amount of shopping bags on her arms, and one hand was clasped around the boy's wrist. Slugging behind her, the small boy stared at Rumple for an incredibly long time. Rumple gave him a smile, but he did not return it. Instead, he kept an observant, watchful look in his eyes. The woman avoided eye contact at any cost, and only muttered "Come on, Tom," as the boy continued to trail behind her.

As soon as the boy could not see Rumple anymore, Rumple's smile slowly faded. Though he didn't recognise either of them, they certainly recognised him. Even after how much he had changed; after how hard he had worked, people still looked at him the same way.

Only Belle's girlish giggles stopped him from frowning, as she held onto his arm with a shopping bag on her wrist.

"What's in the bag?" Rumple asked, perking up.

"You'll have to wait and see," smirked Belle.

Half an hour later, Rumpelstiltskin and Belle were sitting in front of Rumple's fire. Belle was lying on her side, with her elbow raised and her head resting on her hand. Rumple was half-sitting; balancing on one knee, with one foot placed on the ground, and his hand firm on his cane. Even if it wasn't the most comfortable position, if he lay any other way, it would cause him sincere pain.

It had turned out that Belle had bought two packets of cookies. They shared a packet, and then decided to save the last packet for Christmas Day. She had also purchased two Santa hats. At first, Rumple had refused to wear his, arguing that it looked ridiculous. However, Rumple could never win an argument with Belle, and that was mainly why they didn't last very long. If Belle got upset, then it would make Rumple feel guilty, and guilt was one of the worst emotions. Rumple had had a lot of guilt on his shoulders in his lifetime, and he did not want any more. Besides, if it made Belle happy, it made him happy.

Silence surrounded the pair, but it was not the awkward type. It was the comforting kind. The kind that told them that they were happy in each other's company, and they wanted to remember this moment for a really long time. They smiled at each other for what felt like hours, before Belle crawled over to him, and rested her head on his shoulder. Even without seeing each other's faces, they knew that they were both still smiling. After a few minutes, Belle raised her head, and her face was millimetres from his. And soon they were kissing.

His lips connected flawlessly with hers, and the familiar feeling of desire and hunger returned to them both. Her hands loosely rested upon his shoulders, before she wrapped her arms around his neck. His hands worked their way up to the back of her head, pulling her closer. The feeling came to a slow end, and they opened their eyes, captivated at one another's eyes. Their noses were still lightly touching; feeling each other's breaths as they exhaled.

"Merry Christmas, Rumple," smiled Belle.

"Merry Christmas, Belle," smiled Rumple.

**A/N: Ugh, I'm so unhappy with that final scene. It didn't go as well as I planned. Kissing is so freaking hard to write. Believe me. Especially since it's my OTP, and I can't mess it up.**

**Okay, maybe I'm going a little Scrooge here. Anyways, I hope you liked it! It's not the best thing I've ever written. I think it's really hard to get back into the writing zone. Especially when you're writing with new characters. **

**Anyways, it's time for me to sleep now! It's like 2am and I have to go Christmas shopping tomorrow. More One Shots coming soon! Might even do a New Years one...**


End file.
